Intermediate discharge for an enclosed roller belt conveyor assembly

ABSTRACT

An intermediate discharge assembly to remove granular material from a conveyor belt used in an enclosed roller belt conveyor assembly. The intermediate discharge assembly includes a first pair of leading and trailing pulleys, a second pair of leading and trailing pulleys and a plow. The first pair of leading and trailing pulleys supports the conveyor belt in a substantially concave manner. The second pair of leading and trailing pulleys supports the conveyor belt in a substantially flat manner. The plow is positioned between the first and second pairs of leading and trailing pulleys. The plow is operable to remove the granular material from the conveyor belt when the second pair of leading and trailing pulleys supports the conveyor belt and the plow is positioned atop the conveyor belt, such that the granular material is removed from the conveyor belt.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 09/836,516, filedApr. 17, 2001, now Pat. No. 6,523,667. The disclosure of the aboveapplication is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to conveyor assemblies and, moreparticularly, to an intermediate discharge for an enclosed roller beltconveyor assembly.

2. Discussion of the Related Art

In various industries, such as those involving agriculture,manufacturing, commercial and industrial applications, it is oftennecessary to store and transport relatively large amounts of granularmaterials. In agriculture, for example, it is often necessary to storeand transfer substantial quantities of grain from one location toanother location. In such instances, grain conveyor assemblies aregenerally used to move the granular material or grain to and fromstorage silos or elevators at a first location to grain transportationvehicles at a second location, such as conveyors, grain transportbarges, freight trains, trucks, etc.

Grain conveyor assemblies or belt conveyors generally employ acontinuous conveyor belt that carries the grain on an upper surface ofthe conveyor belt. This continuous belt typically rides atop a set ofrollers or pulleys. These pulleys include end pulleys which are used fordriving the belt and intermediate pulleys which have a V-shape contourto retain and transport the grain, via the belt. The bulk material orgrain is generally supplied to the belt conveyor at an inlet anddischarged from the belt conveyor at an outlet of the conveyor assembly.

When needed, there are two primary devices used in the bulk materialhandling industry to remove product or granular material from a beltconveyor at intermediate locations along its length. These devices areknown as trippers or plows, which can be designed as stationary ormoveable members. Typically these types of applications have beendesigned and used with open style belt conveyors over the years. The useof open belt conveyors is common throughout many industries. However,some industries are placing more of a restraint on the use of opensystems due to safety and environmental concerns. Other methods toaccomplish the same purpose as intermediate discharge is by usingmultiple conveyor systems at each point where a discharge is required.This method, however, is a very expensive alternative and also requiresmore space to accommodate for the multiple conveyors.

With more safety, environmental and ecological restraints being placedon the belt conveyor industry, the enclosed roller belt conveyor hasbecome more widely accepted and required in handling certain products inmany industries. The enclosed roller belt conveyor is designed with anencasement surrounding the belt and mechanical components, thusproviding an enclosure for transporting material and confining theairborne particles. These airborne particles caused from transportingand transferring products can have adverse effects. For example, in thegrain industry, the containment of dust substantially reduces the riskof explosions. Also, at port facilities, the loading of ships with theenclosed belt eliminates the airborne dust particles that can negativelyeffect the environment. Additionally, the belt support rollers arewithin the enclosure and remove the risk of injury from these rotatingcomponents and moving belt. Therefore, this style of conveyor addressesthe safety, environmental and ecological concerns related to manyindustries.

The dilemma facing the designers of enclosed roller belt conveyorsystems is to incorporate features of the open style belt conveyorwithout the boundary of the enclosure, while maintaining the concernsdiscussed above. For example, one type of enclosed intermediatedischarged system employs a belt conveyor assembly which ramps up orelevates the belt progressively over an extended length up to adischarge area where the belt is routed about a lower set of pulleyscreating a stepped shape along the belt conveyor. At this steppedregion, a tiltable bucket or direction member captures the bulk materialdropping from the elevated portion of the belt conveyor to the lowerportion of the belt conveyor to provide an intermediate discharge inthis stepped area. If this discharge member or bucket is again actuated,the bulk material is simply dropped along the belt conveyor to a finaloutlet destination without having an intermediate discharge.

However, this type of system has many disadvantages. For example, byramping up the conveyor assembly, this requires additional power outputto drive the overall conveyor assembly and also requires a longerintermediate discharge region up to and generally over forty (40) feetlong, which is elevated from a beginning point to an ending point ofover generally four (4) feet. This prevents having several intermediatedischarges positioned relatively close to one another, thereby, in someinstances, requiring multiple conveyor assemblies to achieve multipleintermediate discharges. Additionally, these types of systems generallymay not be retrofitted with existing conveyor belt assemblies due to thesize and overall construction involved, thereby adding additional costsshould it be desired to have an intermediate discharge along a conveyorassembly. Finally, these types of conveyor assemblies may only be drivenin a single direction because of the step formed in the conveyor,thereby inhibiting a bi-directional operation of the conveyor assembly.

What is needed then is an improved intermediate discharge for anenclosed roller belt conveyor assembly, which does not suffer from theabove-mentioned disadvantages. This will, in turn, enable bi-directionalmovement of the belt conveyor; reduce the power consumption generallyrequired for intermediate discharge operations; provide a more compactand versatile intermediate discharge assembly, which can be retrofittedto existing conveyor belt assemblies; and provide an intermediatedischarge assembly that is shorter in length and narrower in width toenable multiple intermediate discharges within a smaller space withouthaving to configure the conveyor belt in a stepped configuration. It is,therefore, an object of the present invention to provide such anintermediate discharge for an enclosed roller belt conveyor assembly.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the teachings of one preferred embodiment of thepresent invention, an intermediate discharge assembly to remove granularmaterial from a conveyor belt used in an enclosed roller belt conveyorassembly includes a first pair of leading and trailing pulleys, a secondpair of leading and trailing pulleys and a plow. The first pair ofleading and trailing pulleys is operable to support the conveyor belt ina substantially concave manner. The second pair of leading and trailingpulleys is operable to support the conveyor belt in a substantially flatmanner. The plow is positioned between the first and second pairs ofleading and trailing pulleys and is operable to remove the granularmaterial from the conveyor belt. When the first pair of leading andtrailing pulleys supports the conveyor belt, the plow is elevated abovethe conveyor belt, such that the granular material passes through theintermediate discharge assembly. When the second pair of leading andtrailing pulleys supports the conveyor belt, the plow is positioned atopthe substantially flat conveyor belt, such that the granular material isremoved from the conveyor belt.

In another preferred embodiment, the intermediate discharge assembly toremove granular material from a conveyor belt used in an enclosed rollerbelt conveyor assembly includes a plow support frame platform and aplow. The plow support frame platform is positioned below the conveyorbelt and is operable to be located in a first position and a secondposition. The plow is positioned above the conveyor belt and is operableto be located in a first position and a second position. When the plowsupport frame platform and the plow are each located in the firstposition, the conveyor belt passes over the plow support frame platformand the granular material passes through the intermediate dischargeassembly. When the plow support frame platform and the plow are locatedin the second position, the plow support frame platform is elevated fromthe first position to substantially support the conveyor belt and theplow is lowered atop the conveyor belt to substantially remove thegranular material from the conveyor belt.

In yet another preferred embodiment, a method to remove granularmaterial at an intermediate location along a conveyor belt used in anenclosed roller belt assembly is provided. This method includes locatingthe conveyor belt at a first position to enable the granular material topass by an intermediate location. This method further includes elevatingthe conveyor belt to a second position at the intermediate location topermit removal of the granular material at the intermediate location.

Use of the present invention provides an intermediate discharge assemblyto remove granular material from a conveyor belt used in an enclosedroller belt conveyor assembly. As a result, the aforementioneddisadvantages associated with existing conveyor assemblies have beensubstantially reduced or eliminated.

Further areas of applicability of the present invention will becomeapparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It shouldbe understood that the detailed description and specific examples, whileindicating the preferred embodiment of the invention, are intended forpurposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope ofthe invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Still other advantages of the present invention will become apparent tothose skilled in the art after reading the following specification andby reference to the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of an enclosed roller belt conveyorassembly delivering granular material from a first location to a secondlocation according to the teachings of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a top view of the belt conveyor in the enclosed roller beltconveyor assembly illustrating the material flow along an intermediatedischarge according to the teachings of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is an end view illustrating the intermediate discharge along theintermediate discharge section according to the teachings of the presentinvention;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged side elevational view of the intermediatedischarge section according to the teachings of the present invention;

FIG. 4a is an enlarged side elevational view of a portion of theintermediate discharge section according to the teachings of the presentinvention;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged top view of the intermediate discharge sectionaccording to the teachings of the present invention;

FIG. 5a is an enlarged top view of a portion of the intermediatedischarge section according to the teachings of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged end view of the intermediate discharge sectionaccording to the teachings of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a top perspective view of a portion of the intermediatedischarge section according to the teachings of the present invention;and

FIGS. 8a-8 e illustrate perspective views of the intermediate dischargesection in operation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The following description of the preferred embodiment concerning anintermediate discharge for an enclosed roller belt conveyor assembly ismerely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the invention,its application, or uses. Moreover, while the present invention isdescribed in detail below with reference to grain conveyor assemblies,the present invention is clearly not limited to only grain conveyorassemblies and may include any type of conveyor assembly to transportany type of bulk material.

Referring to FIGS. 1-3, a grain conveyor assembly 10 for transportinggranular material or grain 12 from a first location 14 to a secondlocation 16 is shown. The grain conveyor assembly 10 may also deliverthe grain 12 to an intermediate location 18, via an intermediatedischarge section 20, further discussed herein. The grain conveyorassembly 10 includes a telescopic tail section 22, a head section 24, anintermediate inlet section 26, intermediate sections 28, with theintermediate discharge section 20 positioned therebetween. It should benoted that while a pair of intermediate sections 28 are shown in FIG. 1,along with a single intermediate discharge section 20, those skilled inthe art will appreciate that depending on the particular configurationdesired, multiple intermediate inlet sections 26, intermediate dischargesections 20 and intermediate sections 28 may be included to lengthen theconveyor assembly 10, as well as to provide additional inputs andoutputs along the length of the conveyor assembly 10. Moreover, inconveyor assemblies, which are over about two-hundred feet (200 ft) inlength, a gravity take-up tail section may be employed.

The telescopic tail section 18 is a conventional telescopic tail sectionas is known in the grain conveyor art and is preferably a Brock typetelescopic tail section available from Chore-Time Brock of Milford, Ind.The telescopic tail section 22 includes a winged tail pulley 30 in whicha conveyor belt 32 rides. The winged tail pulley 30 includes are-loading feature which is well known in the art that is capablereloading any grain which may be displaced from the conveyor belt 32,via paddles 34 located about the circumference of the tail pulley 30.

The telescopic tail section 22 is substantially housed within a sealedouter housing 36, thereby protecting the grain 12 being transported onthe conveyor belt 32 from the environment. The winged tail pulley 30 isoperable to be telescopically adjusted between the range of about oneinch (1″) to about thirty inches (30″) along the longitudinal axis ofthe conveyor assembly 10 using conventional telescopic adjustmenttechniques, thereby enabling tension adjustment on the conveyor belt 32.The overall length of the telescopic tail section is about sixfeet-three inches (6′-3″) and may be separated from the intermediateinlet section 22 along an abutting joint or seam 38.

The head section 24 is used for driving the conveyor belt 32 along theconveyor assembly 10, via a head pulley 40. Here again, the head section24 is a conventional head section for a grain conveyor assembly and ispreferably a Brock head section also available from Chore-Time Brock ofMilford, Ind. The head pulley 40 is driven by a High Torque Drive (HTD)which includes a reduction gear box in communication with the headpulley 40, via a belt drive, or other appropriate drive. The head pulley40 is substantially cylindrical in shape, such that the conveyor belt 32is driven along a substantially planar surface. The structure of thehead section 24 includes a sealed housing 42 having an access panel 44and a discharge outlet 46 extending from a discharge chute 48. As thehead pulley 40 is rotated clockwise at a speed between about 0-200revolutions per minute (RPM), up to about 60,000 BU/HR (bushels perhour) of grain 12 is delivered from the discharge chute 48 at thedischarge outlet 46 to the second location 16. The second location 16may be a grain barge, freight train, grain hauling trucks etc.Alternatively, the second location 16 may also be an additional grainconveyor assembly or other storage facilities, such as a grain elevator.The head section 24 is about four feet (4′) in length and is joined toone of the intermediate sections 28, via an abutting joint or seam 50.

The intermediate inlet section 26 is operable to receive the grain 12from the first location 14, via an inlet opening 52 of an inlet duct 54.Here again, the first location 14 will generally be a grain storagefacility such as a grain elevator or grain silo or other storagefacilities for fertilizer, seed, etc. However, the first location 14 mayalso be a grain hauling vehicle as noted with respect to the secondlocation 16, as well as an additional conveyor assembly. The inlet duct52 is coupled to a sealed housing 56 which houses the intermediate inletsection 26. The intermediate inlet section 26 is coupled to thetelescopic tail section 22, via the abutting joint 38 and to theintermediate discharge section 20, via an abutting joint 58. Theintermediate inlet section 26 is about eight feet (8′) in length andincludes at least three idler pulleys 60 spaced about three feet (3′)apart from one another along the sealed housing 56. The idler pulleys 60are preferably the idler pulleys disclosed in U.S. Ser. No. 09/099,971,filed Jun. 19, 1998, entitled “Idler Pulley For A Conveyor Assembly”,which is hereby incorporated by reference. The use of three idlerpulleys 60 positioned in relative close proximity to one another (i.e.,approximately three feet (3)) provides additional support as the grain12 drops onto the conveyor belt 32, via the inlet duct 52. Thissubstantially evenly dissipates the force generated by the granularmaterial 12 flowing upon the conveyor belt 32.

The first intermediate section 28 is coupled to the intermediatedischarge section 20, via an abutting joint 62 and coupled to adjacentintermediate section 28, via an abutting joint 64. Here again, eachintermediate section 28 includes an enclosed housing 66 to protect thegrain 12 from the environment and the environment from dust and dirt asthe grain 12 is transported along the conveyor belt 32. Eachintermediate section 28 is about eight feet (8′) in length and includestwo (2) idler pulleys 60 which are positioned at about four feet (4′)apart from one another. In this way, by connecting multiple intermediatesections 28, each idler pulley 60 is generally spaced at about four feet(4′) apart from one another, which is sufficient to support the load ofthe grain 12 upon the conveyor belt 32, except at the inlet duct 52where the idler pulleys 60 include the three pulleys 60 within a totallength of about eight feet (8′), providing further support for the grain12 as it is dropped or flows upon the conveyor belt 32.

Each idler pulley 60 in the intermediate inlet section 26 andintermediate sections 28 are secured within its respective housing, viaadjustable bearing stiffness plates 68 having adjustment slots (notshown). The adjustment slots enable the bearing stiffness plates 68 tobe moved along the longitudinal axis of the conveyor assembly 10 eitherfore or aft by about 0.75 inches, independently on either side of theidler pulley 60. In this way, the idler pulley 60 can be positionedsubstantially perpendicular to the conveyor belt 32 or angled a fewdegrees relative to this perpendicular position, which enables belttraining capability for the conveyor belt 32. In other words, uponadjusting the bearing stiffness plates 68, either fore or aft on eitherside of the idler pulley 60, a tension and frictional force is appliedto the conveyor belt 32 as it freely rolls along the idler pulley 60.This enables the conveyor belt 32 to be adjusted to the right or left ofthe longitudinal center line of the idler pulley 60 to substantiallycenter the conveyor belt 32 along the entire conveyor assembly 10. Thisadjustment provides further versatility should it be required to formthe conveyor assembly 10 along an arcuate curve versus along a straightaxial path.

Turning now to FIGS. 4-7, the intermediate discharge section 20according to the teachings of the present invention is shown in furtherdetail. The intermediate discharge section 20 enables various dischargelocations intermediate the outlet 46 essentially anywhere along theconveyor assembly 10. The intermediate discharge section 20 may also beeasily retrofitted to any existing conveyor assemblies 10 simply byseparating abutting joints and installing the intermediate dischargesection 20 where an intermediate discharge is desired. Here again, itshould be noted that multiple intermediate discharge sections 20 may bedispersed along the length of the conveyor assembly 10 to providemultiple intermediate discharges at multiple intermediate dischargelocations 18.

The intermediate discharge section 20 is preferably sixteen feet (16′)in length, twice as long as the standard intermediate section 28. Theintermediate discharge section 20 consists of a first intermediatedischarge section 70 and a second intermediate discharge section 72joined by an abutting joint 74. The intermediate discharge section 20 ishoused within a housing 76 which provides additional height for theintermediate discharge mechanism, further discussed herein, when theconveyor belt 32 is raised during operation. The first intermediatedischarge section 70 includes a pair of idler pulleys 60, each attachedto a bearing stiffness plate 68 and positioned about four feet (4′)apart as with the intermediate sections 28. Here again, the bearingstiffness plate 68 enable the idler pulleys 60 to be adjusted fore andaft for belt training purposes. It should further be noted that theidler pulleys 60 are the same size and shape as the other idler pulleys60 throughout the conveyor assembly, thereby providing a full belt crosssection such that the conveyor capacity is not reduced through theintermediate discharge section 20.

The second intermediate discharge section 72 is used to transition theconveyor belt 32 from the standard full concave cross section to alesser concave cross section. This is accomplished by a pair of leadingand trailing edge transition idler pulleys 78, which are again attachedto bearing stiffness plates 68, enabling fore and aft adjustment of thetransition idler pulleys 78. The transition idler pulleys 78 have ashallower profile as compared to a standard pulleys 60 (see FIG. 5),thereby providing a shallower concave cross section to the conveyor belt32. Positioned between the transition idler pulleys 78 is a plow supportframe 80 having a plow support frame platform 90 which is preferablycovered with an ultra high molecular polyethylene and defines asubstantially V-shaped opening 82, further discussed herein. Theconveyor belt 32 passes over the plow support frame platform 90 when theintermediate discharge section 20 is deactivated to allow the grain 12to pass by this discharge location or any immediate location 18, tocontinue to a subsequent intermediate discharge or a discharge from thehead section 24 of the conveyor assembly 10. The second intermediatedischarge section 72 also includes a leading flat roller 84 and atrailing flat roller 86, which are employed to force the conveyor belt32 into a flat configuration when an intermediate discharge is desired.

The operation of the intermediate discharge section is shown in FIGS.8a-8 e, with the conveyor belt 32 not shown for clarity. In use, theplow support frame 80 is normally in a “down” position when theintermediate discharge is deactivated (see FIG. 8a). In this location,the conveyor belt 32 rides atop the idler pulleys 60 and transitionidler pulleys 78, thereby maintaining the concave cross section of theconveyor belt 32 to transport the grain 12 through the intermediatedischarge section 20. Once activated, the plow support frame 80, alongwith the leading flat roller and trailing flat roller 86 are raised tothe “up” position with a pair of synchronized linear actuators 88 (seeFIG. 8b) or manually actuated. In the “up” position, the leading flatroller 84 and trailing flat roller 86 which are attached to the plowsupport frame 80 supports the conveyor belt 32 and forces the conveyorbelt 32 into a flat profile. At this point of operation, the conveyorbelt 32 is also supported by the plow support frame platform 90.

Next, a V-shaped plow 92 formed from steel, lined with ultra highmolecular weight polyethylene, or similar material used to extend thelife of the plow, having a hardened steel edge 94 is lowered by three(3) parallel linkage arms 96 that are attached to the top of the housing76 (see FIG. 8c). A mechanical actuator 98, such a pneumatic orhydraulic cylinder or a manual lever may be used to rotate a shaft 100connected to the parallel linkage arms 96. The mechanical actuator 98may also be equipped with limit switches to accurately position the plowheight. With the edge 94 of the plow 92 lowered into contact with thetop of the conveyor belt 32, pressure is exerted on the conveyor belt 32by the plow weight (see FIG. 8d). It should be noted that springmechanisms or other weights can also be used or applied to the plow 92to insure that the plow 92 rides or “floats” atop the conveyor belt 32.The plow 92 “floats” atop the conveyor belt 32 by way of slotted holes102 (see FIG. 8e) positioned within the parallel linkages 96 thatconnect the plow 92 to the linkages 96.

The down pressure applied by the plow 92 is able to substantiallycompletely remove all material and product from the conveyor belt 32because of this floating feature and because of the V-shaped groove 82defined within the plow support frame platform 90. In this regard, byproviding an opening or groove 82 which substantially corresponds to theplow shape 92, the conveyor belt 32 is able to flex in this region,thereby insuring that the edge 94 of the plow 92 rides substantiallyatop the entire conveyor belt 32 to insure complete discharge of thegranular material. Moreover, by having the plow support frame platform90 synchronized in movement, via the pair of synchronized linearactuators 88, this insures that the plow 92 and plow support frame 90are flat in contact with one another so that substantially all thegranular material 12 is removed from the belt 32. As such, in the “up”position, when pressure is exerted on the conveyor belt 32, the conveyorbelt 32 will contact the plow support frame platform 90, which includesthe ultra high molecular weight polyethylene liner, while the conveyorbelt 32 rides atop the leading flat roller 84 and trailing flat roller86, which are elevated above the transition idler pulleys 78, therebyremoving the support of the transition idler pulleys 78 from theconveyor belt 32. It should also be noted that the plow 92 can bedeployed onto either an empty conveyor belt 32 or a conveyor belt 32containing the granular material 12, without any adverse effect to theconveyor belt 32.

As the plow 92 rides atop the conveyor belt 32, the grain 12 isdeflected from the curved plow 92 which rolls and propels the grain 12from the blade edge 94. This curved or arcuate profile is superior toconventional straight profile plows such that the grain 12 is propelledby the constant motion of the conveyor belt 32 passing under the plowblade 94. The grain 12 deflected from the plow 92 is discharged andchanneled into side discharge chutes 104, which receive the grain 12through openings 106 in the side of the second intermediate dischargesection 72. The side discharge chutes 104 deliver the granular material12 to an outlet 108 for subsequent delivery to the intermediate location18. The side discharge chutes 104 are also lined with ultra highmolecular weight polyethylene or other appropriate material to provideextended life to the metal housing of the discharge chutes 104. Itshould further be noted that by providing a pair of openings 106 oneither side of the V-shaped plow 96, this provides an even distributionforce to the conveyor belt 32, thereby preventing the conveyor belt 32from being forced to one side or the other, which commonly occurs with asingle angled plow system. Additionally, this enables the side dischargechutes 104 to only extend out slightly from the conveyor assembly 10 oneither side of the conveyor assembly 10 because each discharge chuteonly receives about half or a portion of the grain 12, thereby providingfor a more compact design of the intermediate discharge section 20.

When the intermediate discharge is deactivated, the reverse procedureoccurs. In this regard, the plow 92 raises out of the grain flow areaand the plow support frame 80 lowers to the “down” position, such thatthe conveyor belt 32 now rides atop the leading or trailing transitionidler pulleys 78 providing for a substantially concave cross section tocarry the grain 12 through the intermediate discharge section 20.

Returning to FIG. 2, the plow 92 may also be repositioned to accommodatefor product flow coming from the opposite direction along the conveyorbelt 32 so that the conveyor assembly can accommodate bi-directionalmovement of the conveyor belt 32. In this regard, the plow 92, parallellinkage arms 96, actuator 98 and shaft 100 may simply be reversed alongwith the plow support frame platform 90 to accommodate for a reversedgranular material flow, along conveyor belt 32. Alternatively, the plow92 can be configured to provide for bi-directional movement of theconveyor belt 32 by simply providing a plow 109, which is substantiallydiamond shaped to accommodate for granular flow in either direction.Here again, the plow 109 may simply be connected to the parallel linkagemembers 96 and raised and lowered as previously described to provide two(2) opposed plow faces 110 and 112. Likewise, a diamond shaped groove(not shown) can simply be used in place of the V-shaped groove 82 toaccommodate for the configuration of the blade 109. In this way, theconveyor belt 32 may be driven in a first direction or a seconddirection while providing an intermediate discharge without having toprovide further reconfiguration of the intermediate discharge section20.

The intermediate discharge section 20 therefore provides an intermediatedischarge capability which may be retrofitted to existing conveyorassemblies and provides a configuration which is lower in profile thatexisting systems. This lower and narrower profile enables multipleintermediate discharge outlets to be positioned adjacent to one anothershould this be desired. The intermediate discharge section 20 may alsobe configured to handle bi-directional movement of the conveyor belt 32,as opposed to existing stepped intermediate sections which cannot beconfigured in this fashion. The intermediate discharge section 20 alsoprovides a shaped plow 20, which is lined and curved to provide apropelled motion of the grain 12, thereby exhibiting superiordisplacement of granular material 12 out of openings 106. The floatingplow 92, via the slots 102 and the V-shaped groove 82 also enablessubstantially all of the granular material 12 to be removed from theconveyor belt 32 when the intermediate discharge section 20 is put intouse. The intermediate discharge section 20 is also generally formed froma galvanized steel that essentially bolts to existing conveyorassemblies and provides the features of external mounted bearings 114and actuators 88 and 98, which are not exposed to contaminants or otherdust within the conveyor assembly, along with a dust seal 116 whichseals the moveable plow support frame 80 relative to the housing 76 uponmoving up or down. It should further be noted that each external mountedbearing 114 will also include a polymer seal between the bearing and thehousing 76, as set forth in U.S. Ser. No. 09/099,971, filed Jun. 19,1998, entitled “Idler Pulley For A Conveyor Assembly”, herebyincorporated by reference.

The description of the invention is merely exemplary in nature and,thus, variations that do not depart from the gist of the invention areintended to be within the scope of the invention. Such variations arenot to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of theinvention.

What is claimed is:
 1. An intermediate discharge assembly to removematerial from a rotating conveyor belt, said intermediate dischargeassembly comprising: a first leading pulley operable to rotatably engageand support the rotating conveyor belt in a substantially concave mannerwhen the rotating conveyor belt is located in a first position; a firsttrailing pulley operable to rotatably engage and support the rotatingconveyor belt in a substantially concave manner when the rotatingconveyor belt is located in said first position; and a support platformpositioned between said first leading pulley and said first trailingpulley, said support platform having a substantially planar supportsurface, said support surface operable to directly engage and supportthe rotating conveyor belt in a substantially flat manner when therotating conveyor belt is located in a second position, wherein saidsupport platform is substantially vertically displaced to achieve saidsecond position, wherein when the rotating conveyor belt is engaging andsupported by said support platform in said second position, said supportsurface is fixed relative to said support platform and said supportsurface extends substantially to both lateral edges of the rotatingconveyor belt, and the material may be removed from the rotatingconveyor belt with a member.
 2. The intermediate discharge assembly asdefined in claim 1, further comprising a plow positioned above saidsupport platform, said plow operable to remove the material from therotating conveyor belt when the rotating conveyor belt is located insaid second position.
 3. The intermediate discharge assembly as definedin claim 2 wherein said plow is elevated above the rotating conveyorbelt when the rotating conveyor belt is located in said first position.4. The intermediate discharge assembly as defined in claim 2 whereinsaid plow is operable to discharge the material off of at least one sideof the rotating conveyor belt.
 5. The intermediate discharge assembly asdefined in claim 4 wherein said plow is operable to discharge thematerial off of both sides of the rotating conveyor belt.
 6. Theintermediate discharge assembly as defined in claim 2 wherein said plowis a V-shaped plow.
 7. The intermediate discharge assembly as defined inclaim 1 further comprising a second leading pulley operable to rotatablyengage and support the rotating conveyor belt in a substantially flatmanner when the rotating conveyor belt is located in said secondposition; and a second trailing pulley operable to rotatably engage andsupport the rotating conveyor belt in a substantially flat manner whenthe rotating conveyor belt is located in said second position.
 8. Theintermediate discharge assembly as defined in claim 7 wherein saidsecond leading pulley and said second trailing pulley are positionedbetween said first leading pulley and said first trailing pulley.
 9. Theintermediate discharge assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein saidsubstantially planar support surface is formed of polyethylene.
 10. Theintermediate discharge assembly as defined in claim 2 wherein saidsubstantially planar support surface defines an opening corresponding toa shape of said plow.
 11. The intermediate discharge assembly as definedin claim 2 wherein said plow is a bi-directional plow.
 12. Theintermediate discharge assembly as defined in claim 2 further comprisinga discharge chute positioned on at least one side of said plow, wherebysaid plow is operable to discharge the material into said dischargechute.
 13. The intermediate discharge assembly as defined in claim 1wherein the rotating conveyor belt is housed within an enclosed rollerbelt conveyor assembly.
 14. An intermediate discharge assembly to removematerial from a rotating conveyor belt, said intermediate dischargeassembly comprising: a support platform positioned below the rotatingconveyor belt, said support platform having a support surface, saidsupport surface operable to directly engage and support substantially anentire width of the rotating conveyor belt in a substantially flatmanner only when the rotating conveyor belt is located in a firstposition; a plow positioned above the rotating conveyor belt when therotating conveyor belt is located in a second position, and wherein saidplow engages the rotating conveyor belt when the rotating conveyor beltis located in said first position, wherein when the rotating conveyorbelt is located in said first position and said plow rides atop asurface of the rotating conveyor belt, the material is substantiallyremoved from the conveyor belt; and an adjuster operable to move atleast one of said support platform and said conveyor belt in asubstantially vertical manner between said first position and saidsecond position.
 15. The intermediate discharge assembly as defined inclaim 14 wherein said support surface is substantially planar.
 16. Theintermediate discharge assembly as defined in claim 15 wherein saidsubstantially planar support surface is formed of polyethylene.
 17. Theintermediate discharge assembly as defined in claim 16 wherein saidsubstantially planar support surface defines an opening corresponding toa shape of said plow.
 18. The intermediate discharge assembly as definedin claim 16 further comprising a discharge chute positioned on at leastone side of said plow, whereby said plow is operable to discharge thematerial into said discharge chute.
 19. The intermediate dischargeassembly as defined in claim 14 further comprising a first leadingpulley operable to rotatably engage and support the rotating conveyorbelt and a first trailing pulley operable to rotatably engage andsupport the rotating conveyor belt, wherein said support platform ispositioned between said first leading pulley and said first trailingpulley.
 20. The intermediate discharge assembly as defined in claim 19wherein said first leading pulley and said first trailing pulley areoperable to engage and support the rotating conveyor belt in asubstantially concave manner.
 21. The intermediate discharge assembly asdefined in claim 19 wherein said first leading pulley and said firsttrailing pulley are operable to engage and support the rotating conveyorbelt in a substantially flat manner.
 22. The intermediate dischargeassembly as defined in claim 14 wherein the rotating conveyor belt ishoused within an enclosed roller belt conveyor assembly.
 23. Theintermediate discharge assembly as defined in claim 14 wherein saidsupport surface is fixed relative to the rotating conveyor belt.
 24. Amethod to remove material at an intermediate location along a rotatingconveyor belt, said method comprising: locating the rotating conveyorbelt at a first position to enable the material to pass by theintermediate location; locating the conveyor belt at a second positionat the intermediate location to enable removal of the material at theintermediate location by vertically moving a support platform to thesecond position; directly engaging and supporting substantially anentire width of the rotating conveyor belt with the support platformadjacent a leading edge of a plow in a substantially flat manner; andlocating the plow atop the rotating conveyor belt to discharge thematerial at the intermediate location where the support platformdirectly engages and supports the width of the rotating conveyor belt.25. The method as defined in claim 24 further comprising supporting theconveyor belt with a first pair of leading and trailing pulleys when theconveyor belt is located in the first position, whereby the conveyorbelt is supported in a substantially concave manner and positioning asecond pair of leading and trailing pulleys to locate the conveyor beltin a second position, whereby the second pair of leading and trailingpulleys supports the conveyor belt in a substantially flat manner.